The excerpt below will introduce you to a favorite side character, lab geek Alan Gibson, from Runaway. By the way, Runaway, the first in the series is only 99c on Smashwords.com with coupon code QC8LE. PLUS you can download the other two books in the series, Veteran and Gutter Punk, for the same price with the same coupon code. Happy reading!
Excerpt from Runaway: Walking into the forensics unit was like walking into a cloister that housed experimental scientists. Liz thought their workspace looked weird, sounded weird and often, even smelled weird. Crime Scene Specialists tended to be a trendy lot, young and hip, whereas the forensic folks were usually older. They were best described as super-intelligent, middle-aged science nerds.
Alan Gibson was no exception. Mid-to-late fifties, slight with a wiry build and a government-issue buzz cut, Gibson wasn’t bad looking, just rather ordinary. He had worked in law enforcement forensics since leaving the Army as a young man. Gibson wore trifocal glasses, perpetually chewed gum that smelled of cloves, and even had a pen protector in the pocket of the lab coat he wore.
Regardless of appearance, Liz knew that Gibson was the best in the lab for recovering weird, off-the-wall detail from crime scenes that the department would use as evidence. She had observed Gibson testifying in court and watched cases crumble as he explained away theories. When his evidence was attacked on cross examination, he was unflappable.
Finding Gibson in his usual workspace, Liz greeted him and explained that Connors was assisting her. Then she asked, “So, what have you got for us?”
Gibson began to explain, “I’m sure you remember the paperback novel that was taken into evidence. It did look like it had seen better days—well worn, well loved. But it seemed peculiar to me that it would have been mended with cheap packing tape. Librarians or sellers of books, even used books, wouldn’t use that kind of tape. And the inside of the back cover looked odd to me. Oddly thick. So, I took a closer look. Of course, I documented each step, Sergeant Jordan.”
Liz didn’t doubt Gibson for a second as she and Connors listened and watched. Gibson described using a variety of methods to discover an envelope concealed under the packing tape. “The envelope is just your garden-variety, white, moisten-to-seal item. And yes, it was sealed, with saliva from our victim. Also, her prints were found on the flap of the envelope where one would hold it as it was licked to seal.” At this, Gibson pantomimed holding such an envelope, and licking the pre-treated edge.
“I couldn’t remove the packing tape from the front of the envelope. The adhesive on that product is too caustic. I didn’t even try that route. So, the tape covering the envelope front is intact, as you found it. Visually, from the inside of the back cover of the book, it appears white or blank. However, I was able to do the reverse from the other side and remove the paperback cover from the back of the envelope where, of course, there was no tape. Once the back cover was removed, it was easy to open the envelope.”
Gibson had a look on his face that told them how much he enjoyed his work. He could have been explaining to them how he recovered the Holy Grail. But Gibson knew that to Liz and Connors, working to find Leah Bishop’s killer, this discovery could be important.
Susanne Perry Publishing 